Skylight operator



Mmmh 2, m7. Q. X. SAUR ET AL V SKYLIGHT OPERATOR Filed July 12, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l TORS ATTORNEY 5 2,, W37, 0. x. SAUR El AL, v BMW/468 SKYLIGHT OPERATOR Filed July 12, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //a k lfa Patented Mar. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SKYLIGHT OPERATOR of Connecticut Application July 12,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in skylight operators, and has for an object to provide a skylight operator free of depending chains or other operating means likely to hang in the way of persons moving about on the floor below the skylight.

Another object is to provide a skylight operator which is of simple construction, may be easily and quickly assembled, and is easy to operate and which is adapted to be operated, to raise or lower a skylight, by means of a removable crank member adapted to be placed in an out of the way location when not in use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in. connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is 201101; limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a sectional view showing the improved operator mounted to open and close a skylight;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view showing the mounting of the operator on its bracket, the operator being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken substantially along the line 4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a view on a smaller scale and taken at right angles to Fig. 1 and showing a truss device associated with the operator.

Referring in detail to the drawings, at H) is shown an upright wall or curb surrounding an opening in a roof or the like H and having its upper end closed by a skylight l2 movable between the full line closed position and an open position suggested by the broken lines. The skylight may be hinged or otherwise mounted as is found most convenient or desirable. Heretofore skylight operators have commonly been operated by means of depending chains which are objectionable in that they either had to be left hanging down in the way of persons moving about under the skylight or some special means had to be provided for supporting them or holding them up in an out of the way position. Also, with such constructions it was necessary to provide an operating chain for each operator in use. The present device eliminates the necessity for the employment of operating chains and is operated 1935, Serial No. 30,990

by a means which when not in actual use may be removed and placed in an out of the way position and which means may be carried from one skylight operator to the next so as to operate it to open or close the skylight.

Referring in detail to the drawings the improved operator is shown as including a casing generally designated I3 and comprising lower and upper sections [4 and I 5 detachably connected as by means of screws Hi. This casing mounts the various operating parts and is in turn mounted by a bracket ll comprising an attaching portion or base l8 secured to the curbing H] as by screws l9 and at its outer end bifurcated providing spaced arms or portions 20 and 2|. The bracket l1 pivotally mounts the casing l3 the lower section M of which includes a tubular extension 22 carrying oppositely extending trunnions 23 and 24. The bracket arm 2| has a perforation or bearing opening receiving the trunnion 24 while the bracket arm 20 is slotted through its upper edge as at 25 and the lower end portion of said slot forms a bearing for a casing trunnion 23.

Extending through the casing l3 and connected to the skylight is a screw threaded shaft 26 adapted to be fed longitudinally through the casing so as to raise or lower the skylight I2. A bracket 26a is secured to the skylight as by screws 21 and the upper portion of the shaft 26 is received in a portion of said bracket and pivotally secured therein as by a cotter pin 28 passing through the bracket portion and the shaft. Within the casing a bronze bushing or nut 29 is threaded on the shaft 26. The outer surface of the nut 29 is tapered so that the nut is of somewhat less width at its upper end, and in transverse section the nut is non-circular and is preferably rectangular as best shown in Fig. 3.

Also, within the casing I3 and about the nut 29 is a gear 30 having an upwardly directed extension 3E tapered on its inner side to seat on the outside of the nut 29 and the interior configuration of said extension 3| is substantially the same as the exterior configuration of the nut 29. Therefore when the gear 30 is positioned on the nut it is not turnable thereon but the nut and the gear will turn with one another. The nut '29 rests on a ball thrust bearing 32 located at the lower side of the nut, and since the shaft 26 is threaded to the nut and attached to the skylight it will be apparent that when the latter is open the weight of the parts is on the nut 29, and since the nut is resting on the thrust bearing the latter carries the weight of the skylight.

A shaft 33 extends through the casing I3 and has bearing in a portion 34 of the lower section and includes a tapered upper end portion 35 having bearing in the upper casing section as at 36. At the top side of the casing section I a washer 31 is disposed about the shaft and then the shaft is secured in place by a cotter pin 38. Within the casing above the bearing portion 34 a gear 39 is disposed on the shaft 33, and to prevent relative turning of the gear and shaft they have engaging non-circular or flat surface portions as shown best in Fig. 4.

The gear 39 meshes with the gear 30 and it will, therefore, be apparent that on the shaft 33 bein turned the nut 29 will be rotated. Since the nut is threaded on the shaft 26 and is held against movement in the direction of the length of the shaft by the thrust bearing 32 and the top wall portion 4| of the casing it will be apparent that as the nut is turned the shaft 26 will be fed longitudinally. The shaft is fed up or down to raise or lower the skylight I2 depending on the direction in which the shaft 33 is turned.

At its lower end the shaft 33 has rigid with it a hook-like part 42 of a detachable connector. The other hook-like part 43 of said connector is rigid with a rod or tube 44 to the lower end of which there is connected a crank 45. When the hook portions 42 and 43 are engaged as in Fig. 1, on turning of the crank 45 in one direction or the other the shaft 33 will be turned and through the gearing 39 and 30 such movement of the shaft will be transmitted to the nut 29. The latter being threaded with the shaft 26 such shaft will be fed longitudinally in one direction or the other to raise or lower the skylight I2. After the skylight has been adjusted as desired the hook 43 may be disengaged from the hook 42 and the operating means 46 comprising the hook 43, rod 44 and crank 45 may be placed in an out of the way position.

It will be apparent that the operating means 46 may be carried from one skylight to another so as to operate or adjust the same to open or closed positions so that it is not necessary to provide an operating means for each skylight operator as is the case when the operating means comprises a chain. Further, when the means 46 is not in use it may be removed and placed in any desired out of the way position so that there is no part depending from the operator and which part would be in the way of those working beneath the skylight.

A coil spring 41 is arranged about the shaft 33 and at its respective ends bears against the bottom wall of the casing I3 and against a flange-like portion 48 on the connector part 42. This spring provides sufiicient friction preventing casual turning of the shaft 33 so that the weight of the skylight will not operate the device in a direction to permit the skylight to fall. This is especially desirable in constructions where the shaft 26 is provided with a high pitched thread. From this it is to be understood that the spring 41 provides friction so that the parts will be held in their adjusted positions.

The cotter pin 28 pivotally connects the upper end portion of shaft 26 with the skylight. It will be noted that the gears are enclosed in and held against movements along their shafts by the casing I3, and it is noted that on removal of the screws I6 the upper casing section may be lifted off and all of the parts easily removed. In this connection it is pointed out that the gear 30 is liftable off the nut or bushing 29 when the casing is open and that the gear 39 is liftable off the shaft 33. It will also be seen the operating parts are enclosed within the casing so they are protected from dirt and injury but are easily accessible by removing the top section I5, after which the parts may be easily removed or renewed.

Fig. 5 shows a truss device associated with the operator and in such figure the rectangular curbing is designated Illa. while the roof is designated I Ia. The upper end of the curbing is closed by a skylight which while of a construction differing from that of a skylight I2 need not differ therefrom since the truss device may be associated with the operator irrespective of the particular construction of a skylight. The truss device generally designated 48 is Substantially V-shaped and includes arms 49 and 50 to the outer ends of which are connected bracket members 5| and 52. The inner ends of the arms are connected by a member or casting 53 having a central upstanding portion 54 receiving the lower end of the threaded shaft 26 and a cotter pin 55 passes through such portion 54 and through an opening 56 in the lower end portion of the shaft so as to pivotally secure the truss device to the shaft.

A bar or brace 51 extends across and has its end portions secured to the frame of the skylight 4'. as by bolts 58. The bracket 26a secured to the shaft 26 by the cotter pn 28 is secured to the mid portion of the bar 51 as by bolts 59 whereby as the shaft is fed longitudinally it will move the bar and the latter being secured to the skylight, the skylight will be opened or closed. Similar brackets 60 and 6| are secured to the bar 5'! as by bolts 62 and it will be noted that each of said brackets includes a pair of spaced depending fingers 63. The bracket members 5I and 52 at the outer or free ends of the arms 49 and 50 of the truss have portions entering between the fingers 63 of the respective brackets 60 and 6| and such bracket members are secured in place or connected with the brackets by cotter pins 64. It is noted that the cotter pins 64 and 28 are in alignment and are parallel with the trunnions 23 and 24 pivotally mounting the operator on the bracket I'!.

When the truss device is used it will be apparent that it will be moved upwardly or downwardly with the threaded shaft 26 and having the outer ends of its arms connected with the bar 51 at points laterally of the bracket 26a it will be apparent that the skylight will be lifted straight upwardly and any tendency it may have to incline toward one edge will be prevented since the upward thrust will be the same adj acentboth edges of the skylight. Therefore, any tendency the skylight might have to stick at one edge or the other will not result in the skylight being pushed upwardly at one edge portion while its other edge portion remains in closed position. Thus twisting of the skylight out of shape or breaking of the glass is prevented.

Having thus set forth the nature of our invention, what we claim is:

1. A skylight operator comprising a casing, a screw passing through the casing, means for connecting the screw to the skylight, a gear having threaded connection with the screw, an operating shaft parallel to the screw, a driving gear on the shaft in the same plane as the first gear and meshing therewith, a pivotal support for the casing, a removable operating member for the shaft, and a universal connection between the removable member and the shaft so that as the casing swings the connection can bend to compensate for the movement of the casing and shaft.

2. A skylight operator comprising a screw, means for connecting the screw with the skylight, a casing having spaced opposed walls provided with guides for the screw, an operating nut on the screw between said guides, a gear having an opening receiving and embracing said nut so that the two turn together and may be separated by relative movement longitudinally of the screw, an operating shaft having a bearing in the casing, a gear on the shaft meshing with the first gear, a pivotal support for the casing, and means on the shaft for detachably connecting an operating crank therewith and forming a loose connection so that as the casing swings the connection can bend to compensate for movement of the shaft.

' 3. A skylight operator comprising a casing comprising separable sections, means for detachably securing the sections together, a bracket pivotally mounting the casing, an operating screw for attachment to the skylight and extending through said sections, a non-circular nut threaded on the screw and located between said sections whereby it is held against movement longitudinally of the screw, a gear having a non-circular opening to receive the nut and held thereon between the sections, a driving shaft having a bearing in the casing, a gear on the shaft meshing with the first gear, and a removable operating member for the shaft including a universal connection so that as the casing swings the connection can bend to compensate for the movement of the shaft.

4. A skylight operator comprising a casing comprising separable sections, means for detachably securing the sections together, a bracket pivotally mounting the casing, an operating screw for attachment to the skylight and extending through said sections, a non-circular nut threaded on the screw and located between said sections whereby it is held against movement longitudinally of the screw, a gear having a non-circular opening to receive the nut and held thereon between the sections, a driving shaft having a bearing in the casing, a gear on the shaft meshing with the first gear, and means for operating the shaft to shift the screw.

OTTO X. SAUR. ADOLPH G. PITZ. 

